Sunday, 18 August 2013

If it weren’t for Ishq Khuda, Meera would’ve left filmdom

When there’s drama
or controversy, Veena Malik and Mathira seem to be in the vicinity. The
tradition of being in the news for all the wrong reasons, however, wasn’t
pioneered by them. It was Meera who cut that ribbon. She went from Lollywood to
Bollywood and bounced right back.

Although there was
speculation that her film career may well be over, the release of her new film
Ishq Khuda — which failed miserably at multiplexes but fared rather well at
single-screen cinemas — proves otherwise.

“I really believe
that this has been my best film [so far],” says Meera, adding that the film has
acted as a medium to restore confidence and faith in herself and her acting
career. The crew of Ishq Khuda recently cut a cake in Lahore to celebrate the
commercial ‘success’ of the movie. “I was reaching a point where I thought to
myself that this may just be my last film,” she adds. “But I think that’s what
this film has done… it brought my interest back and I hope to do more work.”

Meera feels that
the film’s script is unique as it aims to reach a wide-ranging audience. “It
has the ability to connect with people abroad,” she says proudly. “The idea of
sufism and true love really just resonates and the film also has good music.”

Her role as a
20-something Iqra, the daughter of an ex-army official, has received mixed
reviews. While some say that she was not well-suited for the role, Meera and
the film’s director Shahzad Rafique think diffrently. “The director cast me
because he needed someone who could act with a certain amount of intensity,
which is what you [will] see at the end of the film,” explains Meera.

Rafique too,
defends his decision by saying, “I realise that people have said that she does
not look her age, but I wasn’t trying to make her look like a college or
university girl.” The director also admits that he was not competing with
Chennai Express. “If an artist herself says that this may be her best film,
there is nothing I can say to exceed that praise,” he smiles.

Queen of
controversy

Apart from
addressing the criticism she received regarding her role in Ishq Khuda, Meera
expresses her feelings about being made fun of and mocked openly by people on
television. “It’s a known fact that I started to act in 1995 — I was only a
child,” she sighs. “But what hurts more is the way people have tried to judge
me. Have they got no decency? They would never do that to an Indian actor.”

She then comments
on the controversy regarding Kaun Banega Meera Pati where cricketer Shoaib
Akhtar had backed out of her show and she ultimately faced a major financial
setback. “He is very over-confident and this is no way to speak to women. If he
thinks he’s such a star then I probably have just as big a name,” she says.

Meera admits that
she is not interested in doing any films in India unless Mahesh Bhatt offers
her one. “I want to be selective in the roles I choose. I suppose if Mahesh
Bhatt approaches me for a film, I will do it. But otherwise, I would rather
focus on my career here [Lollywood],” she says. “I have always wanted to do
television. But I’ll be very honest, I have not been getting any offers… If a
director thinks I fit a role, I would love to do something.”